Tales of the Bystander
by blackfadedvelvet
Summary: Who knew that there was another Marauder? Who knew that this Marauder was destined to fall for Lily's best friend? Follow Kira and Jeremy while they watch the relationships between James and Lily, Sirius and Miranda, and Remus and his girl unfold. Chp 1


**_Disclaimer:_ So these aren't my characters. You all know that. Only half of them are. And not even that. I wrote this with a friend, it started as a role play. So know. I own a few of the characters, half of the laughter, and all of the fun.**

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**Chapter 1: The Reunion**

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The clock on the wall showed 10:45 as the last of the students and parents filed onto the platform. Already, students were on the train and finding their way to compartments. A tall brunette stood next to the train, a younger boy next to her. Her parents stood in front of her, her mother beaming down at the two children. She was fighting back tears, anyone could tell.

"Now you take care of your brother, Kira." Her mother said even though Steven was protesting and trying to tell them he would be fine.

Playfully, Kira put her hand on Steven's head and ruffled his hair. "I will." Steven smacked her hand away as he tried to flatten his hair back into place. Kira rolled her eyes as she looked up at her father.

"Have a good year, you two." He gave Steven the type of hug a father-and-son do in public, having already hugged back at the house, both of them almost crying. Her father then walked to her and hugged her before kissing her forehead softly. "See you at Christmas, honey."

The two of them walked over to the train and boarded. Meanwhile, a boy around the same age stood at another part of the platform. He had given his luggage to the man and was now facing his parents and older sister. Jeremy and his sister both stood a good five feet eleven inches, both with brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"All right, brother, you be careful this year." Kristen said. "I won't be there to keep the professors off your back anymore." She gave him a look and grinned, receiving the same grin back.

"You behave this year." His mother told him, having not heard what Kristen had said. She walked up to him and hugged him. "We love you." His father put his hand on Jeremy's shoulder.

"See you son." Jeremy smiled as he nodded his head and hugged his mother before turning around and walking up to the train, going up the stairs and onto the train.

Kira and Steven walked along the halls, trying to find an empty compartment. A door slid open to their right and Steven's oldest friends popped their head out, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him into their compartment, shutting the door. Kira rolled her eyes and smiled, continuing on.

She passed a compartment with three boys, one very dumpy and resembling a mouse, another one was very tall and handsome, with shaggy black hair and a very fun personality. And the last of them was also tall, with black hair and bright blue eyes hidden behind glasses.

They were the Marauders, the group in Hogwarts known for getting into all kinds of trouble, but having so much fun doing so. In their first year, they had hung a Slytherin upside down by his ankle in the middle of the hall. Everyone thought it was hilarious. Everyone, that was, except…

"Lily!" Kira said as she spotted her friend down the hall. Lily turned and smiled as the two ran at each other and hugged. "I haven't seen you since school last year, how have you been?"

"Fine. **Guess what**!?" She said before holding out her hand. In it was a shiny badge, the Hogwarts seal on it with a large HG in a ribbon around it.

Kira smiled and hugged her friend again. "That's _great_! Congratulations on making Head Girl. Everyone knew you were gonna get it."

Lily smiled and nodded her head. "Thanks. I'm sorry to say I can't share a compartment with you today; Head Boy and Girl have their own and we have to tell the prefects what to do." She rolled her eyes and laughed. "We'll have to catch up at school."

Kira nodded and the two walked past each other, each searching for their compartment. Moments later, Kira happened across an empty compartment, stealthily slipping inside it and past a group of girls giggling to themselves. She claimed it hers, throwing her bag on the seat next to her and putting her feet up on the opposite seat, propping a book open on her lap. She reached in her bag just as the girls turned around and gave her a look before walking down the hall. Kira just grinned.

As she heard a knock on the window, Kira turned around and looked out to see her mother standing there with a black bundle in her arms. Kira stood and opened the window, and leaned out as her mother lifted up the bundle. "Don't forget Jinx, dear." She said, and Kira smiled as the black cat jumped out of her arms and onto the seat. Kira thanked her mother and closed the window as the whistle blew.

Extracting her glasses out of its case, she put them on and sat, turning and leaning back against the wall of the train and putting her feet up on the seat, her book leaning against her thighs. She then began reading. It was a hobby for her, reading. That was probably why she was known as the second smartest girl in school, next to Lily, of course. Though they were only mere tenths of a point away from each other. Third in their grade was James Potter, the tall Marauder with the glasses.

There was a knock on the compartment door and Kira refrained from looking up, having been in the same paragraph for five minutes and wanting to finish it. The door slid open and a boy leaned his head in. He had a smile plastered on his face. "Mind if I join you? Everywhere else is pretty full."

As he spoke, Kira raised her head and looked up at him, smiling and nodding her head. "Feel free." She looked over at the seat next to her, where Jinx had stretched nearly the full length of the seat. She shook her head and looked down at the book as the boy sat down, fixing her glasses as the train began to move.

"So how was your summer, captain? Think up any new maneuvers?" He was grinning from ear to ear.

Looking up at him, Kira held a blank expression. "Actually…" She paused, watching his grin falter. "I'm not going to be captain this year."

"**_What?!_**" Jeremy nearly shouted as he jumped up out of his seat. Kira jumped, knocking the book out of her lap and onto the floor. The shout also caused Jinx to jump, landing on the back of the seat and digging his claws into the fabric. "But you've been a good captain for us for two years! _What happened_?!"

"I'd still be on the team." Jeremy relaxed and say back down as Kira continued. "But I thought I should probably focus more on my school work."

"So who's gonna be captain then?" Before she could answer, Jeremy's face brightened slightly. "Oh, guess what?" He pulled a slip of paper out of his shirt pocket. "We've got ourselves a brand new secret weapon for the team this year." He handed the paper to Kira, who took it and smiled as she saw the proof of purchase for the latest broom model.

"Jeremy, that's great." She said as she handed the paper back to him. "I wonder if we can win this year, what with the new captain."

"Oh yeah, you didn't tell me. Who's the new captain anyway?"

"I haven't told anyone _but_ the person yet. We're going to announce it at the first meeting."

Just as she finished, the food trolley was pushed down the hallway. She stopped in front of their open door. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

Jeremy declined and Kira stood and walked to the doorway, reaching into her pocket. "Can I get five chocolate frogs, two licorice wands and…" She paused, looking around the cart. "That's it." As the woman looked for her sweets, a group of boys came up, wanting to get something as well. The boy in the front looked over at Kira and smiled. She smiled back and bit her lip slightly. Taking the sweets and handing over the coins, she walked back into the compartment and sat down.

Jeremy had been watching them and raised an eyebrow at the exchanged looks. "What was that about?"

Kira looked up at him, the smile still on her face as she shook her head. "Nothing." She opened one of her chocolate frogs, taking the card out. "Bones, pretty rare."

Jeremy pointed a finger at her. "No, it's not nothing. I've never seen you smile like that before."

Kira looked at him and bit her lip slightly before putting her sweets on the seat next to her, sliding forward in her seat slightly. "Did you **see** what Anthony Adamante did? He actually **notices** me." She stopped and sat back, blushing slightly and looking back at another frog. "Sorry. But you should have known I've been crushing on him for _years_."

Jeremy's jaw fell and he gawked at her. "Wait a second. You've been crushing on that _stuffed_ shirt, **cocky**, moronic, egotistical _git_?" He pointed in the direction that Anthony left.

"He's not like that." She said, looking down and blushing even more. "He's nice. Really nice. And he's sweet, smart, funny…"

Jeremy just stared at her. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"I'm not." Kira looked up at him before there was a knock at the door. Her brother stood there, looking at her.

"Kira, have you seen Coral?"

"No, sorry kid. Maybe she's already at the school."

Jeremy cocked his head. "Who's Coral?"

Steven turned to Jeremy and answered. "She's my new owl. Mom and Dad got her for me since I'm starting school this year."

"Oh!" Kira interrupted. "Steven, this is Jeremy." Kira motioned to Jeremy. "He's on the quidditch team with me. Jeremy, this is my little brother Steven." Steven stepped inside the compartment and held out his hand.

Jeremy shook Steven's hand, engulfing Steven's small hand in his own. "Nice to meet you. Jeremy's the name, chaser's the game."

"Chaser like my sister? That's cool. I plan to be on the team next year."

"He's a great keeper. We practice at home a bit."

"Anyway, I'm going to go back with my friends. See you." He turned and left, closing the compartment door behind him.

"Kira, tell me something. Have you actually _talked_ with Anthony before? I mean more than just watch him from somewhere else?" Jeremy asked, leaning forward accusingly.

Kira turned, looking at him. "Yes, of course. We talk all the time in the library. And sometimes when we see each other in the hallways."

Jeremy gave her a strange look and folded his arms, leaning back in the seat. He turned his head and looked out the window at the passing scenery, a frown on his face as he kept his mouth shut.

Kira watched him, tilting her head slightly. "Jeremy, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said in a terse tone.

Kira looked down and folded her hands in her lap. "Look, I'm sorry, really. I," she paused and took a breath. "I probably shouldn't have said anything."

The two of them sat in silence. Kira kept her head down as she twiddled her thumbs and Jeremy kept his gaze outside. The sky darkened and the train continued to head closer and closer to the school. Moments later the compartment door opened and Lily stood in the doorway.

"Goodness, I never imagined it would be this quiet in a compartment with you two." She said, putting her hands on her hips. She was already dressed in her robes. "You two are acting like a couple of corpses. What happened?"

Jeremy looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "It's nothing." He looked back outside the window.

Lily raised an eyebrow and looked at Kira, who had stood up and shook her head slightly. "Don't ask."

"Okay, then. You two better get changed into your robes. We'll be at Hogwarts in twenty minutes."

Kira nodded and walked with Lily out of the room, leaving Jeremy alone in the room. The two friends walked down the hallway towards the bathroom, Kira with her bag in her hand. "So, who's the Head Boy?" Kira asked.

Lily seemed to twitch slightly at the mention of it. She ground her teeth together and spoke through them as she answered. "_James_… _Potter_…"

Kira turned her head and looked at Lily. "Oh god, Lily, I'm sorry." Lily just shrugged. "Well I have to go get changed into my robes, but I'll see you at the feast, okay?" They said their goodbyes and Kira walked into the bathroom to change.

As she opened the door, another girl looked up as she pulled off her skirt, folding it. She smiled as she spotted Kira. "Hey captain, long time no see."

Kira smiled at her and walked further into the bathroom, opening her bag. "Hey Miranda."

"How was your summer?" She asked as she pulled her blouse off and folded it before pulling out her school uniform.

"It was _amazing_. My father found another hippogriff baby that we've been taking care of. What about yours?" She slipped out of her jeans and pulled the school skirt up, buttoning it as she looked up at Miranda.

"It was all right, I suppose. Nothing really happened. I guess that's what happens when you live in as small a town as mine." She stepped into her skirt and looked up at Kira. "Hey, I heard what sounded like Jeremy shouting a moment ago. Do you know what's up?"

Kira paused and looked at Miranda for a moment before turning to her bag and taking out her shirt. "It was nothing."

Miranda looked Kira up and down, buttoning her blouse as she did so. "Now girl, don't even start trying to hide things from me. It's better if you tell me before I go and pull them out of Jeremy. Especially if you know what's going on."

Kira kept her gaze down before she smiled slightly and looked up at Miranda. "Anthony Adamante." She looked back down and began to button her own shirt as Miranda hit her forehead, causing a resounding smack to be heard.

"Oh no. You didn't tell him you had a crush on Anthony, did you?" She groaned. "Geez, we're in trouble now."

"It's not my fault that he was at the trolley when it came to our compartment." Kira finished with the blouse and took out the robe. "Jeremy just happened to see… that smile." She looked away from Miranda.

"Kira, I'm not blaming you. It's just that Jeremy _hates_ Anthony. And I don't mean 'dislikes severely,' I mean he _hates_ him. I don't know why, but ever since something that happened in first year he's hated Anthony. Now that he knows you like him he might not play on the team anymore. Or worse." She paused and looked up at Kira. "He might not even speak to you again."

Kira sighed and nodded. "I know, I know. I screwed up. I know I did." She put her regular clothes in her bag, now fully changed into her robes. "But I don't get why he would care that it's me liking him. At least it's not him." She picked up the bag and looked at Miranda. "Anyway, I'm going to head back. Maybe I'll get to talk to him. Somehow."

Miranda hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and looked down at Kira. She was a good five feet ten inches, only an inch shorter than Jeremy. This was expected, as she was the only female beater on all of the Hogwarts quidditch teams. "I hope so. For all our sakes."

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**_Author's Note:_ Hey guys. So this is my first HP fic. I know that most of the real HP characters aren't in here yet, but trust me. They will be. They become pretty darn important. So just bear with me!! Review if you'd like; I don't mind. This will go on whether or not it is reviewed. It's for my pleasure. I'm just sharing it with all of you. :D**


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